A 37-year-old police officer died after he and a colleague were wounded in a shooting with robbers in Soweto on Tuesday morning, police said.
Inspector Leslie Mashaba (37) and Captain Simon Matladi (38) tried to arrest two armed robbers at a shack in Kliptown at 3am when the shooting began, Superintendent Lungelo Dlamini said.
”Inspector Mashaba died on arrival at hospital … Captain Matladi is in a critical but stable condition at the hospital.”
One of the robbers, a 23-year-old man, was shot dead in the shack.
The police raid resulted from a tip-off on the remaining members of a gang of criminals operating in the Kliptown area.
A woman, believed to be involved in the gang, was arrested on Monday.
The second arrested robber was apprehended shortly after the Tuesday-morning shooting, Dlamini said.
Meanwhile, Gauteng minister of community safety Firoz Cachalia condemned the killing of the police officer.
He said: ”I want to emphasise that the incident is once again an indication that the police are on the offensive and willing to confront those who break the law.”
Both robbers are expected to appear in court soon on charges of murder and attempted murder. — Sapa